He’s one of the few things in baseball that virtually everyone agrees on.

]]>By: protiushttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-362061
Tue, 11 Sep 2012 07:55:31 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-362061The best character I can think of all dressed in black is Obersturmführer Ozmunt-Boras Dortbanger, who was in charge of keeping strict control of all the Fuhrer’s mid-fielders attempts on goal. He didn’t want to over work those lovely legs. For der fader landt.
]]>By: mybrunobloghttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361973
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 21:57:01 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361973Scott Boras had absolutely nothing to do with the Nationals shutting down Stephen Strasburg. In other news OJ is still desperately looking for the real killers and Lindsey Lohan hasn’t a drop of booze in three years.
]]>By: onbucky96http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361895
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 19:46:30 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361895Sure, whatever Satan.
]]>By: churchoftheperpetuallyoutragedhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361832
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:17:55 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361832Presidents are fact checked, in fact they are very frequently. the problem is that most dont seem to care about the results.
]]>By: bigleagueshttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361817
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:02:21 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361817EXCELLENT point!
]]>By: bigleagueshttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361816
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:01:25 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361816I actually did include the link in the blockquote tag, but for some reason WordPress doesn’t hyperlink it.

The first six quotes are from the now infamous Washington Post Interview with Mike Wise back on August 17th:

The agent, like the politician, wants to be perceived as influential, unless it’s in his interest to be perceived as not being influential.

]]>By: natstowngreghttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361787
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:33:10 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361787It is a little hard to believe. An agent not discussing the health of one of his clients with the team?

At the same time, there is this perception that Boras is some sort of Svengali, running the Washington Nationals from the shadows. It’s absurd to suggest that Mike Rizzo can’t make up his own mind, but Boras knows the perception is out there, and is trying to counter it. Not all that convincingly.

Rizzo and I put this team together. I got eight or nine guys on the team. I got another whole group in the minor leagues.

. . . you better do this because you are going to need these innings because we have this plan for Stephen Strasburg.’

I said, “Look, you want to draft these players? Great, but you know what? I’m not on board. We won’t sign and I’ll send them back to college. I want to make sure we have an organization that will put the health of these players first.” I saw this coming. I saw all this coming. He was too talented, and his body wasn’t yet mature.

I told Rizzo, “I’ll be honest with you, you got a guy who is a No. 1 pitcher. There are only a few of them in the game. He’s worth $30 million dollars a year . . . You only have to pay him, because of the reserve system, $40 million dollars (for next 4 seasons – 2012 included) . . . You better look at it that way. You know what else you better look at? With your insurance coverage, if you go against medical recommendations, are you liable for negligence as an organization?”

Q: So, you’re saying there is some legal consequence involved if something were to happen to him this season or down the road because you kept pitching him?

A: The fact of the matter is, if you are forcing your player to pitch and disregarding medical doctors, are you going to be able to live with that legally and ethically?

I said, ‘Riz, we need more innings.’ He agreed. And we went to ownership, and Ted complied. The Nationals, they brought in Edwin Jackson . . .

Have now morphed and been re-spun into:

Before players are under contract, I have a matter of control . . . But once he’s under contract, I don’t say a word.

Do you think Mike Rizzo’s personality is attuned to having someone call him and tell him what to do with his particular team? Come on. Certainly, I try to give teams insights and information. But when you’re not there every day, how can you make these calls? It’s not my place or anybody’s place unless you’re there. A manager has a job. A general manager has a job, and that’s what they should do. They make these decisions. I don’t.

When thinking of Boras these days, the best comparison (beyond Sith Lord) that I have been able to come up with is Vladimir “I’m not in charge of Russia” Putin.

]]>By: heyblueyoustinkhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361759
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:03:57 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361759That’s the spirit, Which I guess makes the managers Jedi. Hmmmm, Charlie and Yoda have similar speaking oddities, albiet one can understand Yoda most of the time.
]]>By: bigleagueshttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361749
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:47:36 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361749If Scott Boras is a Sith Lord, doesn’t that make Bud Selig a Jedi Master?

Almost forgot . . . where there is one Sith, there is always one other. Yes! It all makes perfect sense now . . . Supreme Chancellor Selig and his understudy, Darth Boarass.

]]>By: Old Gatorhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361745
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:44:56 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361745“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn’t exist.”
…Keyser Sozé
]]>By: frenchysplatedisciplinehttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361741
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:42:50 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361741This makes a ton of sense – until you actually think about what he is saying.

Of course they all have jobs. And YOUR job Scott is to secure the best financial future for your client.

Add to that the fact that you control a TON of players in the MLBPA (not to mention much of the top tier talent), and your job might just be to ‘blackmail’ Rizzo into a move like this, whether he likes it or not.

“You sit Strausburg and I’ll see that Bourne doesn’t ask you for the moon this offseason”

Either way this guy is a drain on the sport – at least from my perspective as a fan. I am sure if you asked some players, they might tend to disagree with my point of view…

]]>By: beearlhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361735
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:39:40 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361735Exactly. And maybe he hasn’t been speaking to the Nats’ management directly, but he has been talking to the media about the situation all summer long. Saying things like if the team places winning over an individual player’s health then it could harm the team in the future when trying to sign draft picks. Do you think that Nats aren’t paying attention when Boras says things like that? C’mon.
]]>By: natsladyhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2012/09/10/scott-boras-says-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-nationals-shutting-down-stephen-strasburg/#comment-361733
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:37:53 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=211291#comment-361733I hear it. I don’t believe it, though…. Maybe in the particulars, this day, that day, exactly how many innings. But the general policy–you bet he influenced it. He said so in other interviews–he influenced it by “mentioning” legal action, by describing how insurance might not cover Stras if the Nats went against the best medical advice and by suggesting that he could take future clients elsewhere.

I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. A player’s agent should try to assess and “improve” workplace conditions, that’s part of his job. He’s in effect a lobbyist–so what?